Who is the real Louis Sheldon? and Yeah for Michelle!

Louis P. Sheldon, the main poohbah of the Christian extremist right wing Traditional Values Coalition, is a hate-monger.

He is 74 years old, born and raised in Washington, D.C., son of a Jewish mother and Protestant father. Obtained a B.S. from Michigan State University and a M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary.

The TVC is a hate organization. According to People for the American Way, it is run primarily by Sheldon's daughter, Andrea Lafferty. They claim a membership of over 43,000 churches representing 12 denominations, and send letters monthly to pastors of member churches, as well as "action alerts" and special notices regarding "important" matters.

What they hate most are homosexuals. The TVC lobbies intensively against gays. Their mission is "'to restore America's cultural heritage' by opposing gay and lesbian civil rights, reproductive freedom, the teaching of evolution in public schools, and sex education curricula that does not stress abstinence to the exclusion of information on birth control and disease prevention, and promotes prayer in schools.

The TVC often refers to gays and lesbians as "sexual predators" and "pedophiles." TVC has supported the use of internet filters in public libraries, and continually lobbies "for a conservative judicial system and right wing judicial nominees/appointments."

Please click the People for the American Way link above for more detailed information.


The TVC has lost some support and credibility in recent years because of "revelations that Lou Sheldon took money from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff to help kill an anti-gamblling bill that would have hurt one of Abramoff's clients. In this regard, Sheldon met with Tom DeLay and Ralph Reed, noted nogoodnicks connected to Abramoff and his crooked schemes.

Would it surprise you to know that the Traditional Values Coalition has tried to do a hatchet job on Michelle Obama? Nah!

From the Barack Obama Website, we learn that Michelle Obama is 44. Grew up on Chicago's South Side. Graduated from Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. When to Princeton, too, just like Lou Sheldon, graduating with a B.A. in sociology and a minor in African American studies. She then went to Harvard Law School where she earned her degree in 1988.

After working for a few years in corporate law, she left "to pursue a career in public service, serving as an assistant to the mayor and then as the assistant commissioner of planning and development for the city of Chicago."

"In 1993, she became the founding executive director of Public Allies - Chicago, a leadership training program that received AmeriCorps National Service funding and helped young adults develop skills for future careers in the public sector."

There's much more, all of it indicating that Michelle Obama is an extremely intelligent and capable woman who has much to offer our country. She is also a Christian (not Muslim!) if that matters to anyone.


But the Traditional Values Coalition doesn't like her. And that tells us much more about TVC than Michelle.

An article titled "Thesis Vs. Pearls? Who is The Real Michelle Obama?" currently appears on the TVC Website. You can read it here.

The TVC doesn't like the fact that Michelle's an uppity ... ah, woman, who ... ah, "has been touring the country giving political speeches on behalf of her husband."

What does she say in those speeches? The so-called Christians at TVC whine that "she often displays anger and bitterness towards our nation and appears to be trying to convince her audiences that because things are so terrible for minorities in America, her husband is the only logical choice for President of the United States."

Whew! Bad, bad Michelle!

How bad is she? Well, says the TVC, back "In February, for example, she spoke at the University of California Los Angeles and told the audience: 'Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism. That you put down your divisions....Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed."

Hot damn! That sounds wonderful! I guess the TVC wants people to be their usual "uninvolved, uninformed selves" filled with cynicism and divided against one another...

TVC then makes a reference to that famous "Princeton thesis on African Americans;" it is "very revealing" hints TVC. Sheesh!

But here's the kicker: "...pro-life columnist, Jill Stanek has revealed a chilling fundraising letter that Michelle Obama wrote for her husband when he was running for the U.S. Senate in 2004. The letter claimed that the federal ban on partial-birth abortion was 'clearly unconstitutional' and 'a flawed law.'

Absolutely chilling!

Yeah! Go, Michelle!!!!